


Mulan

by Hester_Of_Ravenswood



Series: SGE Disney AUs [3]
Category: The School for Good and Evil - Soman Chainani
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 14:27:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19152883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hester_Of_Ravenswood/pseuds/Hester_Of_Ravenswood
Summary: This is probably really bad but I don’t care.Mainly Nicophie but others will make appearances.





	Mulan

The emperor looked up at the General.

 

He had to get recruits for their army to fight the Huns immediately.

 

They needed a man from each family to even out their ranks.

 

~

 

Nicola woke up early, as always.

 

She had chores to get done.

 

She woke up her 'little brother', the dog, and tied him to the grain sack, putting a stick connected to a bone.

 

She could see her father with their ancestors, praying.

 

Most likely for her, hoping that she wouldn't fail at the matchmaker's.

 

She wasn't ready, but she had been taken notes for hours on her arm and she was hopeful she would bring honor to her family.

 

But she wasn't sure how she was going to do.

 

She hurried downtown after promising her father she would do her best to bring honor.

 

~

 

They primped and polished her, though she was late, and she went over her notes again in her head.

 

She joined the other girls and tried her best to copy their actions.

 

She continued to pray that she would be able to impress the matchmaker.

 

But... well... it was a disaster.

 

The lucky cricket her grandmother had given her had gotten into the woman's tea, which led to a whole series of very unfortunate occurrences, including setting the woman on fire and having to put it out with scalding tea.

 

"You may look like a bride, but you will never bring honor to your family!" the matchmaker shouted loudly.

 

Her mother held her protectively and whispered kind words, but she knew they were false.

 

She was nothing but a disappointment.

 

~

 

She hurried down through their land until she was alone in the stable with her horse.

 

She looked into the horse trough and tried to keep herself from crying.

 

She wiped her face to clean off the makeup.

 

She wondered... when her reflection would show who she was inside.

 

She ran to where her ancestors lay and tried to find answers, but she couldn't find any.

 

Because there were none.

 

She just had to accept that she was nothing but a disappointment.

 

She heard a loud voice in the distant, calling all men into the square.

 

She knew she couldn't go... but she snuck over the wall of their farm anyways and watched as the man announced the unthinkable.

 

The Huns has invaded.

 

And they needed a man from each family to fight.

 

When they called for her family, she jumped in front of her father.

 

"No! You cannot make him go! He's already fought his war!"

 

The man gave her a disgusted look.

 

"Your daughter would do well to learn to hold her tongue in a man's presence."

 

Nicola looked to her father.

 

"You have dishonored me," he said.

 

Her eyes filled with tears and she hurried away.

 

~

 

She knew she was to be silent during dinner, but she couldn't hold her tongue any longer.

 

"You shouldn't have to go!" Nicola shouted.

 

"I know my place. Maybe it is time for you to learn yours."

 

Nicola stood and hurried out of the house.

 

She went to their family's great stone dragons and cried.

 

She had to do something.

 

Suddenly, a thought struck her.

 

She knew what she had to do.

 

~

 

The ancestors awoke slowly, all starting to argue.

 

The small dragon that sat atop the gong squared its shoulders and grinned.

 

"And you picked your greatest guardian to track her down! I'll do it!"

 

"After what you did last time, you think we could trust you to do anything but ring the gong?!"

 

The dragon slouched and looked away with disgust.

 

"You should wake the strongest!"

 

"No, the swiftest!"

 

"No, the wisest!"

 

"No! Dot will wake up the great stone dragons, protectors of our family!"

 

Dot grumbled and grabbed the gong, stalking out of the room toward their great stone dragons.

 

"Hester! Anadil! Wake up!" Dot shouted, beating on the gong loudly.

 

The two stone dragons lay at the front of the graves and curled up together, one black and one white, causing a yin and yang image together as they set their heads on each other's backs.

 

"Wake up!" Dot shouted, banging on the gong.

 

One of them, the black one, picked up its head.

 

"Get outta here, Dot! We're busy!"

 

That one had to be Hester because the other was pale white and had big red eyes.

 

That was Anadil.

 

"But the family needs you!" Dot cried.

 

"I said that we're busy!" Hester roared.

 

Anadil blushed, an odd look on a dragon, and looked back at Hester.

 

Hester stood and stretched, then looked at Anadil with a sparkle in her dark black eyes.

 

"Do it yourself, Dot."

 

Anadil looked like she was about to have a heart attack.

 

Hester smirked and the two flew off.

 

"We're on vacation!" Hester called over her shoulder.

 

"Wait!" Dot shouted, but the two were snickering and flying away.

 

Dot guessed this was up to her now.

 

~

 

Sophie looked at her father and gaped.

 

"You want me to what?!"

 

Her father, the emperor, wanted her to go and help rally the soldiers?!

 

Why does he want her to do that?

 

She was just the princess, made to look pretty and beautiful, not really to do anything.

 

Right?

 

And what could she do to rally soldiers?!

 

~

 

Nicola was trying her best to look like a man, to talk like one, but she was failing and even her horse was laughing at her.

 

Dumb animal.

 

That's when she suddenly heard a loud voice.

 

She turned around to see a large shadow on the wall of stone that had large flames flying up around it.

 

"Are you ready to be saved?! Let me get a YEAH!"

 

"AHHHH!" Nicola shouted.

 

"Close enough."

 

"Who are you?" Nicola asked, squaring her shoulders and putting a hand on her sword.

 

If she was supposed to be a soldier, she might as well start acting like it.

 

"I am Dot, the wise and powerful dragon!"

 

Just then, a small form walked out from behind the rocks.

 

Nicola raised an eyebrow at the tiny little creature.

 

"You look more like a lizard."

 

"I am not a lizard!" Dot shouted.

 

Her horse, Kahn, let out a loud sound and then stomped on Dot.

 

Nicola tried to stop the horse, but failed and Dot was trampled.

 

When she got to her feet, she turned to the lucky cricket Nicola thought she'd left at home.

 

"Take note! Dishonor on you, dishonor on your cow," she pointed at Kahn and the horse huffed.

 

"Calm down, calm down," Nicola said.

 

"But how are you supposed to help me? You're really just a lizard."

 

"I'm not a lizard! I don't don't do the tongue thing!" Dot shouted, flicking said tongue in disgust.

 

"But you're so... small."

 

"I'm travel sized for your convenience! Trust me, if I was my true size I'd terrify your cow."

 

Kahn stared at her.

 

Dot hissed.

 

"I was sent here by your ancestors to make sure you don't die!"

 

Nicola rubbed the back of her neck with her hand uncomfortably.

 

She guess she needed the help...

 

~

 

Hort took a deep, steadying breath.

 

He needed to calm down.

 

Suddenly, his father walked into the tent.

 

His father was a great general and Hort couldn't wait to get his new assignment.

 

He tried his best not to grin when his father pulled out his sword and set it on the floor.

 

He was about to tell him his assignment.

 

He had to be.

 

Hort didn't remember any of the conversation except for the fact that he'd been promoted to captain and he was going to train the new recruits.

 

He almost giggled at one point and tried not to be obvious that he was having a heart attack.

 

"Captain Hort, commander of the best army in Woods Beyond-no, the whole Endless Woods!"

 

He laughed and opened the tent.

 

He then caught sight of all his troops fighting.

 

Maybe not...

 

~

 

Nicola hadn't meant to start a fight.

 

It wasn't her fault, actually.

 

It was Dot's.

 

"Punch him, it's how men say hello."

 

Nicola thought there was no chance that was true, but she did it anyways.

 

The man she had punched was named Ravan.

 

He turned around, eyes aflame, and went to punch her.

 

But an exceedingly tall, and overweight, man grabbed onto him and held him.

 

"Calm down, Ravan, calm down," he said gently.

 

Ravan took a deep breath and then his face stopped scowling.

 

And everything was fine.

 

"You're not worth my time," Ravan said, turning around.

 

Nicola took that as a win and turned around, leaving.

 

But Dot, the cursed little lizard, ruined it.

 

"Oh yeah?! Bet you just can't hack it!"

 

Ravan froze and Nicola was about to strangle Dot.

 

She turned around and could see Ravan's fist coming to connect with her face.

 

She ducked and his fist connected with another soldier, whose name she later learned was Vex.

 

She rolled to the side and watched as the two started to fight.

 

She ran away from them, but they soon took chase and tried to not get hit in the face.

 

Just then, the captain walked out of the tent and growled.

 

"Who started this?!"

 

Everyone pointed at Nicola and she cursed internally.

 

She was going to kill Dot.

 

First chance she had.

 

That is, if she wasn't killed by this captain.

 

That was a big if, she thought, as the man stride up to her.

 

He was pretty buff and clearly strong, but he was a big lackluster in height, making him only about an inch taller than Nicola.

 

He had short black hair and pale skin, his face resembling that of a weasel.

 

"What's your name?" he asked, glaring at her.

 

Nicola gulped.

 

Name...

 

Right...

 

She was supposed to have a fake name, one that wasn't a girl name.

 

But she suddenly found that she couldn't think of one.

 

"Try the most manly name you can think of," Dot whispered in her ear.

 

"Manny!"

 

Nicola forced herself not to roll her eyes.

 

"How about Ping?"

 

She almost laughed.

 

That wasn't a name!

 

"Your superior officer asked you a question!" an annoying man snapped, glaring at her.

 

"My name is...," her mind whirled, "Nicholas."

 

The captain raised an eyebrow.

 

"Well, Nicholas, I hope you and all the other recruits enjoy picking up every single piece of the rice you spilled. And then tomorrow, the real work begins."

 

All of the other recruits glared at her.

 

"We need to work on your people skills," Dot whispered.

 

She growled and almost throttled the lizard right then and there.

 

~

 

"How do you think Dot is dealing with Nicola?" Anadil asked.

 

Hester looked up and shrugged.

 

"I don't know and I don't care."

 

Anadil snickered and set her head on Hester's shoulder.

 

"Yeah, me neither."

 

~

 

Sophie looked around with disgust and tried not to throw up at the terrible smell of overly sweaty men around them.

 

She rode into the camp and looked around at the recruits that were disgustingly unhygienic.

 

They were cleaning up rice, something that was really odd, and she almost laughed.

 

That is until she saw the captain.

 

He was staring at her with wide eyes, his jaw practically on the ground.

 

She tried not to roll her eyes.

 

He took a few breath and then went over to her and her horse.

 

She tried not to look disgusted.

 

"Hi, I'm, uh, Hort. Captain Hort."

 

The man's, Hort, face turned a light shade of pink.

 

She really did roll her eyes this time.

 

This captain was really weird.

 

"I'm Princess Sophie," she said.

 

Hort's face turned a deeper shade of red.

 

"Oh! Your highness."

 

He bowed, very awkwardly, and tried not to fidget too much.

 

She rolled her eyes.

 

"Do you mind of I ask why you're here? I mean, that sounded rude, it's just, someone of your station, uh..."

 

Hort was still blushing, though it had deepened.

 

"The princess is here because she is a woman of the people and is going to help raise the troops spirits."

 

Sophie rolled her eyes at the annoying man who had instantly joined her at her side when she had gotten here.

 

He was such a suck up.

 

"I can speak for myself, thank you very much," Sophie said with a glare.

 

The man slumped down on his saddle.

 

"Of course, your majesty," he said.

 

Hort still looked tongue-tied, but still motioned toward the camp.

 

"These are our newest recruits. They aren't much right now, but I'll whip them into shape soon! I promise, your majesty," Hort said.

 

Sophie was not impressed in the slightest.

 

They were just idiots running around with swords.

 

They'd be lucky if they didn't stab themselves.

 

Sophie rose through the camp on horseback, refusing to get down and walk among them.

 

We was above that, both literally and figuratively.

 

These men, if they could be called that, were immature and disgusting.

 

Some looked, and smelled, as if they hadn't had a bath in days.

 

She was about to comment on how disappointed she was when, suddenly, a certain one caught her eye.

 

She felt whatever words she had been about to say die in her throat.

 

The man had dark brown eyes the color of chocolate, slightly longer than average hair tied up at the top of his head, dark creamy skin, and surprisingly feminine features. He was wearing green and black armor

 

Sophie felt her heart skip a beat.

 

The man was bent down and scooping up the rice.

 

He shook his head slightly and ran a hand through his dark black hair.

 

Sophie felt her eyes glued to the man.

 

He was so...

 

She felt her mouth going dry and she wondered who that was.

 

She turned to the captain and saw that he was already talking to her.

 

But she found that she couldn't force herself to care.

 

"Who's that?"

 

Hort looked put out that she had interrupted him.

 

"Uh, who?" he asked.

 

"Him."

 

She pointed at the small man she had been staring at, not taking her eyes off of him.

 

He was small and slender, more so than any adult man she had ever met.

 

"That's one of our worst soldiers. He started the fight today and spilled the rice."

 

Sophie raised an eyebrow.

 

"His name is Nicholas."

 

Sophie kept watching the man as he stood.

 

He was more graceful than any man she'd ever met, almost like a woman.

 

Weird.

 

Sophie shook her head and turned away from the man.

 

"Show me the rest of the camp," she said with an air of authority.

 

~

 

Nicola felt weird, as if someone had been staring at her.

 

But when she turned around, there was nobody else around.

 

Nicola shrugged and then went back to cleaning up.

 

Dot, however, raised a fluffy eyebrow and watched the blond princess riding away.

 

Why had she been watching Nicola?

 

She wasn't quite sure, but it seemed important.

 

~

 

Sophie was not impressed by the rest of the camp.

 

All she could think about was the dark-haired, slim man she'd seen earlier.

 

~

 

Nicola collapsed onto her bedroll with a sigh of relief.

 

Today had been torturous and trying, but she'd finally made it through.

 

She was pretty proud of that.

 

But there was still a bunch more they had to do.

 

~

 

Nicola was awoken early by an over eager Dot, who had a big bowl of porridge with bacon and eggs in it.

 

"Come on, come on! First day of boot camp! You don't want to be late!"

 

Dot smiled and shoved a bunch of food into her mouth.

 

"Come on, give me your game face!"

 

Nicola was trying to swallow and just looked st Dot.

 

The dragon had a flat expression on her face.

 

"I think my bunny slippers just ran for cover. Come on, give me something!"

 

Nicola swallowed and growled at her.

 

Dot grinned.

 

"That's the spirit! Now come on, you're going to be late!"

 

Nicola jumped to her feet and put on her armor at top speed before hurrying out of the tent.

 

Dot let out a loud, surprised sound as the tent fell around her.

 

"My little baby off to destroy people!" Dot said excitedly.

 

Nicola was the last to arrive and hurried into line as she watched the captain telling them off.

 

He took off his shirt and Nicola's eyes bulged, watching the man as his muscular form wakes away.

 

"Alright, pretty boy."

 

He suddenly grabbed a bow and shot an arrow at a tall pole.

 

"Thank you for volunteering, Ravan."

 

The boy's face paled.

 

"Just go get the arrow," Hort said with a somewhat smug smile.

 

"Alright, pretty boy," he said with a pop of his knuckles and neck.

 

But before he could try, Hort wrapped two weights, one against each wrist.

 

Hort did this to each recruit and asked them to climb, but each and every one of them failed.

 

Nicola somehow failed even worse than everyone else.

 

And she failed everything else that day.

 

So bad that even Hort said he could never make a man out of her.

 

Good thing too considering I'm not a man, Nicola thought with an eye roll.

 

~

 

Sophie couldn't help but laugh as she watched all the men failing.

 

That is until Nicholas tried.

 

He was... so clearly determined.

 

It was... impressive.

 

Or well it would have been if he hadn't failed at everything he did.

 

And he did for the next few day too.

 

Every time they had a weapon or tried to fish, he was the worst one.

 

It was sad, really.

 

But she still couldn't stop thinking about him.

 

It was weird and really confusing.

 

And she had almost been able to take her mind off of him...

 

Until suddenly he wasn't failing at everything.

 

~

 

"You should just go home!" Hort said.

 

"I could never make a man out of your. You're a dishonor to your family, Nicholas."

 

That night, Nicola almost did exactly what he said.

 

Almost.

 

But after some encouragement (read as insults and lots of screaming) from Dot, she decided to do the complete opposite.

 

She decided to redouble her efforts.

 

And it all started with that stupid pole and the stupid weights.

 

She spent hours that night trying to figure out how to do it.

 

Until suddenly it hit her.

 

These weights weren't supposed to just be weights.

 

They represented things that were supposed to help you fight.

 

So shouldn't they help you climb?

 

And that's when it hit her.

 

She wrapped the two weights around each other and used it as leverage to climb up the pole.

 

It was a breeze this was and by the time the sun came up, she had reached the top and sat there as casually as if she did it every day.

 

She grinned as she saw the captain coming o it of his tent.

 

She threw the arrow down at him and it struck the ground right in front of him.

 

He jumped and looked up at her with shock.

 

She grinned and was about to say something, but suddenly she caught sight of someone else.

 

She had never spoken to her and had no idea who she was, but she always seemed to distract Nicola.

 

She had long (and admittedly beautiful) blond hair, emerald green eyes, and an almost ever-present smirk on her ruby red lips.

 

Nicola didn't even know her name.

 

But somehow she drew her attention away from the captain and she grinned.

 

She had been about to wink at the captain, but instead she found that she was winking at the blond girl.

 

She didn't even know her name.

 

She didn't notice that the girl stared at her with wide, disbelieving eyes and a small pink color on her cheeks.

 

~

 

Ever since that moment at the top of the pole, Nicola had been pushing herself.

 

And it showed.

 

Instead of being last whenever they did their runs (with increasingly heavy weights on their shoulders), she would actually pass Hort.

 

And he would stare at her with disbelief and another emotion she couldn't identity.

 

And by the end of the day, she had been the best archer and the first to disarm Hort.

 

And that night at dinner, someone came to speak to her.

 

She was sitting on her own, as most of the soldiers still either hated her guts or were exceedingly jealous of her, but not for long.

 

~

 

Sophie took a deep breath before walking across the clearing.

 

Several men scooted to the side to make room for her, all calling for her to sit beside them with wide smiles and eyes that looked her up and down.

 

She'd only been here for a few days (three) and was going to be introduced to all of the soldiers tomorrow to try and raise their moral when it was at an all time low.

 

The captain even almost fell out of his seat trying to make room for her.

 

But she ignored him, like she always ended up doing.

 

She instead took a seat at the table that was least expected.

 

By the person nobody would have thought.

 

Nicholas.

 

~

 

Nicola looked up as she saw a plate and bowl set down a few inches away from her own.

 

She was met the woman she had seen around the last three days but had never spoken to.

 

She wasn't even sure why another woman would even be in the camp with her.

 

Nicola swallowed her food and was about to speak when suddenly the other girl opened her mouth.

 

"Hello. My name is Sophie. May I sit here?" she asked.

 

Nicola nodded, a bit too surprised to speak.

 

"May I ask who you are?" Sophie asked.

 

Nicola realized it might have been a tad bit rude to have not said her name earlier.

 

"Oh! Right! My name's Nicholas."

 

She paused for a moment at the name and almost said Nicola, but she was proud that she didn't and made it sound pretty normal.

 

Sophie sat down and gave her the smallest smile Nicola thought possible.

 

"It's an honor to meet you, Nicholas. I have seen that you are quite skilled," she said.

 

Nicola laughed slightly.

 

"Only for the last day, I guess."

 

Sophie laughed just slightly, only an exhale which made Nicola raise an eyebrow in confusion, and nodded.

 

"Yes, I saw."

 

Nicola felt weird at the thought of her watching her.

 

The thought made her feel quite odd.

 

Sophie was watching her as if she was expecting her to say something.

 

Nicola didn't know what she expected.

 

Suddenly, several men care up to where they were sitting and ogled Sophie.

 

"Hey, how about you come sit with a real man?" one asked.

 

Sophie rolled her eyes.

 

"I believe I already am."

 

Nicola tried not to laugh.

 

She literally wasn't a real man.

 

"Stop playing hard to get," one said.

 

It continued for a few more moments before one said a particularly rude comment.

 

Nicola was through listening.

 

"That's it!"

 

She slammed her hands against the table and stood up.

 

"You should never speak to a woman like that!" she shouted.

 

Nicola glanced at Sophie.

 

She was staring at Nicola already and she ignored the weird feeling it gave her.

 

The men around her stared, shocked.

 

"What are you going to do about it?" one asked.

 

She put her hand threateningly on her sword.

 

She was suddenly a treat, ever since this morning.

 

They looked around for a second, debating.

 

Thy dispersed after a bit.

 

"Thank you, Nicholas," Sophie said after a moment.

 

Nicola gave her a small smile.

 

"No problem. Any gentleman would do that."

 

Sophie felt her heart beating quicker than ever before.

 

"Then maybe you're the only gentleman in here," Sophie said.

 

Nicola laughed and then saw Sophie looking at her.

 

She clearly didn't know why Nicola was laughing and it must look rude.

 

"Thank you," she finally said.

 

Sophie smiled thinly and looked at her.

 

There was something about this... Nicholas.

 

~

 

Nicola went to bed exhausted, but still proud of herself.

 

She'd done it.

 

She'd reached the top of the pole, gotten better at the bow and arrow, and disarmed Hort all in one day.

 

And... and she'd finally got that other girl's name.

 

It was weird how happy that made her considering she had so many other things to be excited about.

 

And her she was focusing on Sophie.

 

Nicola suddenly realized that she hadn't even asked why the other girl was here.

 

She wanted to know, but had somehow gotten distracted by those emerald green eyes.

 

And the way she'd looked at her after Nicola had protected her from the men.

 

~

 

Sophie sat on her horse regally.

 

Today was the day she was going to be introduced to all the soldiers, formally that is.

 

And that included Nicholas.

 

She wondered why that seemed so important in the big scheme of things.

 

He was just one soldier.

 

One that had been so bad at everything until yesterday.

 

It seemed like an unrealistically fast turn around in his abilities, but who was she to judge?

 

Now she could see him eating breakfast.

 

He wasn't sitting alone today.

 

Ravan and Vex sat beside him, all three of them talking about something she couldn't hear from here but desperately wanted to.

 

"I have an announcement," Hort said loudly, silencing everyone as they ate.

 

"Many have you have been wondering why we have a woman amongst us," he continued.

 

Nicola's heart stopped beating for a moment before she realized that he was referring to Sophie, not her.

 

That peaked her interest again and she stared intently.

 

She was wondering what was going on.

 

"This," Hort gestured at Sophie, "is Princess Sophie, daughter of the Emperor himself."

 

Nicola's heart stopped.

 

Wait, what?!

 

She was the Princess Sophie?!

 

She couldn't believe it.

 

The princess had been... sitting beside her last night?

 

Had been talking to her?!

 

She felt her heart racing.

 

What if she had somehow insulted her?!

 

~

 

Sophie watched Nicola intently from where she sat eating.

 

Well, she had been eating.

 

She had dropped her chopsticks as soon as she'd heard the news.

 

Sophie didn't know why she was so nervous.

 

She never cared what other people thought of her because she was Sophie.

 

Not because she was Princess Sophie, but simply because she was Sophie.

 

She didn't care what other people thought.

 

But now she found herself almost shaking with worry for what this one soldier thought of her.

 

She liked him.

 

Not like that.

 

Of course not.

 

She was the princess and couldn't pick who she would like.

 

She would marry a prince from some other kingdom and would love him.

 

Well, maybe not love.

 

But she would pretend to.

 

And if she was lucky, he would be handsome and rich.

 

And at the thought of handsome, she found herself imagining it.

 

Maybe he'd have short dark hair, beautiful chocolate eyes, da-

 

Wait she was just describing Nicholas.

 

Wait, why would she call his eyes beautiful?

 

They were handsome.

 

Of course.

 

They had to be handsome, not beautiful.

 

Because that wouldn't make sense.

 

But then again none of what she was thinking made sense.

 

Because she couldn't like him.

 

He was small and, although he was taller than Sophie, was under average height (although not by much).

 

He might be strong, but he was still somehow lean and slender, having an almost feminine form.

 

He was somehow more pretty than handsome.

 

It didn't make sense.

 

He shouldn't look like that.

 

It shouldn't be legal.

 

Maybe she should make it illegal, as princess, for a man to be so pretty.

 

He almost looked like a girl.

 

It made her...

 

Confused and she didn't like it.

 

But then again, the whole problem was that she did like it.

 

She realized there were loud sounds of disbelief coming from all around her.

 

She hadn't even thought of anyone else's reactions to who she was.

 

While everyone was talking loudly (read as screaming in confusion and denial), Nicholas was just staring at her.

 

He was silent and pondering, something that Sophie likes about him.

 

When the soldiers were met with a particularly challenging trial, they would all loudly talk about it or complain.

 

But Nicholas was quiet and would consider what she should do.

 

And he would always be the first to figure it out.

 

He was brilliant and calculative, so much so that it was honestly a bit concerning and nerve wracking.

 

Like he was some evil genius.

 

He could probably destroy the world if he wanted to.

 

Sophie had never been patient enough to consider things as long as he did and it was something that Sophie admires about him.

 

There were quite a few things she admired about him, actually.

 

Like his work ethic.

 

He was so dedicated to the army.

 

To being the best here.

 

It was inspiring.

 

But now he was looking at her again and it stopped her thoughts right in their tracks.

 

All she could hear was her pulse, her heart somehow beating in her ears.

 

Was that possible?!

 

She'd never really understood anatomy and so she couldn't be completely sure.

 

She bet that Nicholas would know.

 

He was smart.

 

She hadn't talked to him much, but she could tell.

 

She bet he knew all about that weird science stuff she couldn't understand.

 

She'd seen him reading a few times.

 

When they'd had a break in training or during their meals.

 

Some of his fellow soldiers had made fun of him for it, but he hadn't seemed to care.

 

He'd said, "knowledge is quintessential to ensure a providential life. And I'm sure none of you understood a word I said, thus proving me right."

 

He had then walked away, book held in surprisingly gentle hands, without a single backwards glance.

 

If he had looked back, he would have seen several confused and stunned faces.

 

Sophie has tried her hardest not to laugh, but she had anyways.

 

There was just something about him...

 

~

 

Hort couldn't keep his eyes off of Sophie.

 

And, through his staring, he found that she too was watching someone.

 

And that someone was Nicholas.

 

He frowned.

 

Why would she be watching a soldier who, until today, had been a complete and utter disappointment.

 

Sure, he was impressive today...

 

And sure he was rather attractive...

 

That made Hort's eyes widened.

 

What an... odd thought.

 

He'd never considered another man attractive before.

 

At least not in so many words.

 

But he knew that men were attractive, he supposed.

 

The first that came to mind was Ravan.

 

He was rather handsome in a roguish, bad boy sort of way.

 

Which was, again, an odd thought for him to have.

 

But Hort found his eyes moving away from Sophie and to the soldier he'd just been thinking of.

 

Ravan was gaping at Sophie, like many others, and that made Hort feel... weird.

 

He shook his head to clear it and then turned back to watch Sophie.

 

She was saying something.

 

~

 

Sophie had spent several minutes allowing the men to be confused and loud about it, but that had not been her original plan.

 

She had meant to silence them immediately.

 

But instead she had been sidetracked and distracted by the one man that seemed to be able to do that to her.

 

Nicholas.

 

"I have come here to support our troops, the backbone of our country and the most important part. You are putting your lives on the line to help save your loved ones and your country and for that I thank you. My father thanks you."

 

There was a moment of stunned silence before people started to clap.

 

She watched as everyone in the clearing started to cheer.

 

Everyone except for Nicholas.

 

And, after a few moments, he joined in as well.

 

Sophie found herself smiling at that.

 

His opinion seemed to matter more than anyone else's in this clearing.

 

An odd thought, that.

 

~

 

Dot raised an eyebrow as she watched the princess.

 

Sophie kept looking over here at Nicola and Dot was determined to find out why.

 

There had to be a reason.

 

She was worried that maybe she'd found out about their little... secret.

 

That would be rather unfortunate.

 

Yes, it definitely would be.

 

But then she saw a bit of color on the princess's cheeks and she smiled at Nicola.

 

She had hardly taken her eyes off of the woman she believed to be Nicholas.

 

And that's when Dot put two and two together.

 

She gasped from her spot peeking out of Nicola's armor.

 

There was no way.

 

That would be insane.

 

And yet...

 

Sophie's eyes were darting to Nicholas as if looking desperately for his opinion on what had just happened.

 

Her hand even nervously twitched at one point.

 

That sealed the deal.

 

Sophie, as in the princess and daughter to the Emperor of Woods Beyond, had a crush on Nicholas.

 

But it wasn't Nicholas.

 

It was Nicola.

 

A woman who really shouldn't be here in this camp.

 

A woman.

 

How was Dot going to get Nicola out of this one?!

 

For the first time since she had left, she wished that Hester and Anadil were here.

 

~

 

Hester yawned an stretched, one of her front legs coming to wrap around Anadil.

 

"Do you think she needs us?" Anadil asked.

 

This wasn't the first time she'd asked such a question.

 

"I'm sure that she's perfectly fine. She has Dot with her, after all," Hester said levelly.

 

Anadil glanced at her and both of them burst out laughing at the words.

 

"Maybe we should check in on her at some point," Hester said noncommittally.

 

Anadil nodded and yawned, moving closer to Hester.

 

It wasn't long until the two fell asleep, watching the sun set at the tops of a mountain they didn't know the name of.

 

It was a long overdue vacation, that's for sure.

 

~

 

Nicola couldn't believe that Sophie was the princess.

 

But she didn't have time to think about that too much as she was soon tossed into a rigorous workout with the rest of the soldiers, something which took up pretty much all of her attention.

 

But any thought she had that didn't have to do with their training went to the princess.

 

~

 

Sophie tried to pretend she wasn't watching the men work because of how sweaty they got and how hot it looked.

 

But after a moment she pretended she was watching the men.

 

Because the truth was worse.

 

She was watching one man.

 

Just the singular man that was outrunning the rest.

 

It didn't physically look possible for him to do that.

 

He was small and lean, but from here he didn't look muscular at all.

 

And yet he was doing the best.

 

And looking good doing it.

 

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and shook his head, more sweat tumbling from his hair.

 

Sophie almost blushed at the sight.

 

~

 

"We have to do something about that girl! She's falling for a common soldier!"

 

"But what can we do?! Love has a way of breaking down all barriers!"

 

"But she is to be the empress in a few years and we can not have her married to a common man!"

 

The ancestors continued to argue, loudly, and a small green dragon rolled her eyes.

 

She was the gong ringer of the Woods Beyond family and she couldn't be more bored.

 

"We should send a guardian!"

 

"But which one?"

 

They argued over which one to send for a long while, but the green dragon didn't seem to care what they were thinking.

 

Instead, its eyes gleamed bad excitement flooded it.

 

A guardian?!

 

This was her chance!

 

The green dragon grabbed the gong and slipped outside.

 

She hid the gong where none of them would think to look and was off, flying through the air on her tiny wings.

 

She could do this!

 

She would stop Sophie from falling for this Nicholas solider guy.

 

And then the green dragon, Kiko, would finally regain her place as a guardian.

 

~

 

Nicola all but collapsed onto a small stump and let her head fall in exhaustion.

 

She had finished today's training and done the best out of everyone.

 

But it was so tiring.

 

And she was unbelievably sweaty.

 

She needed a bath.

 

She hid in a thickly wooded part of the forest and took off her armor.

 

Dot was telling her how idiotic it would be to do this, that she could get caught, but she couldn't care.

 

"Just because I'm pretending to be a man doesn't mean I have to smell like one!" she said before slipping into the water.

 

She let out a sound of relaxation and ran a hand through her hair.

 

She was still shocked whenever she let it down that it was so short.

 

She'd never had it so short in her life.

 

Unless you counted when she was a small child that was still growing her hair out.

 

And she didn't.

 

She was almost done when she heard several familiar voices.

 

She looked up just in time to see three men hurrying into the water.

 

They all cannonballed and splashed her a lot, but that was the least of her worries.

 

Her biggest worry was the fact that she was in the river with nothing on and they could easily tell she wasn't a man if they got close enough.

 

Ravan turned around and gave her a wide grin.

 

"Hey, Nic!" he called.

 

Vex and the third man turned around and gave her big smiles as well.

 

Her popularity had skyrocketed in the past two days and she wasn't sure how to feel about that.

 

All of the sudden she was manly and buff, a real "man's man" as one of the soldiers had said.

 

The thought was weird and a bit funny, though still uncomfortable.

 

She didn't like how easy it was for her to settle into the role.

 

But that was definitely not important right now.

 

"Come over here, Nic!" Vex called, motioning for her to join them.

 

She shook her head quickly.

 

"No, I'm about to get out," she said in the deepest voice she could manage.

 

"Aw, come on, Nicholas!" Ravan called.

 

Despite the fact that she was in a cold river, she could feel herself starting to sweat.

 

Just then, she caught sight of familiar red scales coming toward them.

 

Dot.

 

She let out a relieved breath.

 

Dot would help her.

 

Of course she would.

 

When Dot came closer to the three boys, they all let out loud yells.

 

"Sea snake!" Vex howled, scrambling onto the rock in the middle of the river.

 

The other two boys followed him, one screaming that he had gotten bitten.

 

Nicola hurried out of the water and called Kahn, wrapping the towel around herself and hiding herself from view.

 

The two hurried away and she got back into her armor at lightning speed.

 

Dot came around the corner soon after and started to complain about having bitten one of them and how disgusting it was.

 

~

 

Sophie heard a rustling in the woods behind her and turned around, feeling nervous.

 

Her first thought was that she wished Nicholas was here.

 

He was really good with that sword of his.

 

Her face heated up despite the concerning situation.

 

Suddenly, a small form burst out of the woods, panting as if exhausted.

 

Sophie let out an "EEEK!" and drew back, almost tripping over herself in her haste.

 

But after a moment, she figured out what the thing was.

 

It was a green lizard that was at least two feet tall.

 

She frowned in confusion and inched closer to it despite her distaste for lizards.

 

This one seemed oddly familiar.

 

"What are you?" she said, though to be honest she did not actually expect the little creature to respond to her query.

 

"I am your family guardian! Kiko the mighty dragon!"

 

Sophie almost fainted.

 

"Wait, what?!"

 

~

 

Dot smelt something weird in the air, as if something she should know was nearby.

 

She frowned in confusion, but shrugged it off after a few moments of consideration.

 

 

She was sure she was just imagining whatever it was.

 

She did that sometimes.

 

Nicola had finally calmed down after having nearly been discovered and had a book in hand.

 

She was reading through it was a small smile on her face.

 

She always smiled when she had a book in her hands, it seemed.

 

"You need to be more careful!" Dot chided with a long look at the girl.

 

Nicola nodded with an eye roll.

 

This was not the first time Dot had said this.

 

It wasn't even the tenth time.

 

"I know, Dot. I will be."

 

The dragon huffed and blew a little smoke out of her nose, looking away from the girl.

 

Dot could still smell that weird familiar scent in the air.

 

~

 

Kiko sniffed the air in confusion.

 

Something... familiar was here.

 

~

 

Dot waited until Nicola was asleep before turning to the lucky cricket.

 

She needed a way to get Nicola to be a great and legendary fighter or she would have proven nothing to the ancestors.

 

She had to do it.

 

But Nicola couldn't become the greatest warrior of all time if they never even fought anyone!

 

They needed to be stationed somewhere!

 

That's when the thought suddenly stuck her.

 

A smile grew on her dragon lips and she cracked her knuckles, already formulating an admittedly terrible plan.

 

But she didn't care.

 

This was important!

 

And that's how she ended up disguised as a general riding a panda like a horse and giving the advisor to Hort instructions to take the army to the nearest battle front.

 

He had spluttered out that the men were not ready, but Dot had silenced him and informed him that he would do this or consider himself fired.

 

The man, shaking with, had nodded before hurrying away to do as commanded.

 

Dot grinned in victory and hurried back to the tent she shared with Nicola.

 

Tomorrow morning, they would surely be off.

 

There was no doubt.

 

~

 

"Why did my ancestors send you?" Sophie asked distrustfully.

 

Kiko gave her the best grin she could manage.

 

"Because we don't want you to get hurt, Silly!"

 

She giggled and hoped that she was believable.

 

Sophie eyed her for a long moment before shrugging and turning toward her tent.

 

Kiko hadn't known whether the princess would believe her and was slightly shocked at the fact that she had.

 

"Don't worry, Sophie! I'll protect you from harm!" Kiko said before jumping onto the girl's shoulder.

 

Sophie jumped at the contact and Kiko had to hold on tight to make sure she wasn't thrown from her new perch on the girl's shoulder.

 

She was going to make sure that Sophie didn't fall for this common man.

 

This 'Nicholas'.

 

~

 

They awoke early in the morning, something that had Sophie practically glowing with disgust, and were on their way to do as a general had commanded.

 

Dot giggled at that, making Nicola glance at her distrustfully.

 

Dot pretended to be innocent and gave her a too big smile.

 

They walked for hours before Vex started it all.

 

Sophie had taken to riding beside Nicola, something that Kiko had advised against and Sophie had ignored, and the two were talking.

 

Occasionally, Sophie would make a vain comment and Nicola, to her Nicholas, would whip her head around and give her a wide eyed look.

 

Sophie would always reconsider what she said and try to make it right before Nicholas could say anything.

 

Sometimes, most the time actually, she would not be quick enough and Nicholas would actually back talk to a princess.

 

The first time he had done it, he'd gone wide eyed and went to apologize and plead for Sophie's forgiveness.

 

But Sophie had actually smiled, rather fondly, and laughed at his expression.

 

She'd waved it off and after that Nicholas seemed perfectly fine with talking to her like an equal.

 

That fact had all his fellow soldiers staring at him with disbelief and/or awe.

 

But, as she'd said, Vex had started this whole thing.

 

He'd started talking about the girls back home and how they were 'worth fighting for'.

 

And then soon Ravan had asked Nicholas if he had any girls waiting for him.

 

Sophie had watched, quite intently, awaiting his answer.

 

"What?!"

 

That had been rather high pitched, but he soon fixed it.

 

"Me? Oh, no. I don't have girl back home."

 

Vex rolled his eyes.

 

"I'm sure the girls back home loved you. The strong, silent type. Bet you had a line of them drooling whenever you walked by."

 

Nicholas had blushed a deep red and it had only increased when the girls tending the fields around them had started staring at him.

 

He had hurried forward, pulling the horse that was tugging a wagon behind him.

 

Sophie had felt an odd, angry emotion flare up inside of her as she saw the girls around them staring at Nicholas.

 

She wasn't sure what it was, but it was weird.

 

She also get a deep joy when she heard that Nicholas didn't have a girl waiting anxiously for his return.

 

But the idea of a line of girls ogling him was outrageous.

 

Not because he wasn't handsome, but because...

 

Well..

 

Because!

 

Sophie didn't have to have a reason to hate those girls she had never even met!

 

They had treated Nicholas like a hunk of meat they could just stare at, maybe drool or even fight over!

 

Nicholas was so much more than that...

 

Plus, he didn't belong to any of them.

 

That made her face heat up for unknown reasons and she forced herself to look away from the soldier as the others continued to discuss the girls waiting for them back home.

 

~

 

Kiko shook her head from her spot in Sophie's saddlebag.

 

This girl had it bad!

 

How was she going to fix this?!

 

She wondered if there was a way that she could get Sophie back to the palace.

 

If she could, maybe then she could arrange a few good looking suitors and she would forget this silly crush.

 

Maybe she only likes him because he was such an accomplished fighter!

 

But she dismissed the hopeful thought after a moment of consideration because she knew that Sophie had been eyeing him before he had actually started showing talent during their training.

 

No, it was much deeper than that and Kiko absolutely hated that idea.

 

There had to be some way!

 

Something she could do!

 

~

 

Kiko didn't know it, but there was another mini dragon that was thinking much the same thing.

 

There had to be a way for Dot to get the princess from noticing Nicola!

 

She had had all of her suspicions confirmed when she had seen an angry expression on the princess's face at the mention of Nicola having girls follow her around.

 

~

 

Nicola let out a relieved sigh and stretched.

 

They had finally stopped for the night and she was about to set up her tent.

 

But suddenly, there were several other soldiers surrounding her.

 

"How did you do it?" one asked.

 

"That's pretty clear, isn't it?! He's Nicholas, the greatest ladies man of all time!" another responded, slapping his friend in the back of the head.

 

Nicola frowned in confusion.

 

What were they talking about?!

 

"Umm, excuse me?" she asked.

 

They all turned to look at her, stopping their side conversations.

 

"How do you get all the girls?!"

 

Nicola rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably.

 

"Uh, I don't," she said.

 

They all laughed and some rolled their eyes.

 

"Is it the shy act?! I bet some of them dig the shy act!" one said excitedly.

 

"But how did you get her attention?!"

 

Nicola looked at them, confused.

 

She wasn't used to being confused and she didn't like it.

 

Not one bit.

 

"Who?"

 

They all gaped at her.

 

"The princess!" they all said as one.

 

Nicola's eyes widened.

 

"Wh-What about the princess?" she asked.

 

"Does he seriously not know?!"

 

"I swear!"

 

"Is it the sweet act?!

 

One voice raised above them all.

 

"How did you get the princess to fall for you?!"

 

Nicola froze.

 

Wait, as in...

 

Her eyes widened.

 

They had to be wrong.

 

She and the princess...

 

No way.

 

They were just friends!

 

Wait, friends with a princess?!

 

How had her life come to this?!

 

She had no idea!

 

The men around her continued to talk and even in some cases yell at her until dinner was called.

 

Nicola walked to the food numbly.

 

Of course Sophie couldn't like her.

 

There was no way!

 

The thought made her mouth dry.

 

~

 

Nicola didn't have the chance to really consider that question because soon after was bedtime and when they woke up, they were traveling again.

 

And only an hour into their trip, they came across an abandoned town.

 

No, not abandoned.

 

Destroyed.

 

There were thousands of bodies riddled across the field and all the men stopped, eyes wide.

 

Hort found his father's sword and fell to his knees.

 

Ravan was the first to his side and gave comforting words before helping the captain to his knees gently.

 

Sophie gasped and tears came to her eyes.

 

She almost slipped out of the horse she was riding, but Nicola was there, catching her just before she was able to fall.

 

Sophie glanced at her and, under normal circumstances, would have blushed and stared at those surprisingly strong muscles.

 

But right now was a time of respect for those that had been lost.

 

~

 

It wasn't long before they came upon the ambush.

 

"Ready the cannons!" Hort screamed.

 

But Nicola had another idea.

 

She grabbed one of them and sprinted forward, far too close to the Huns to be in any way safe.

 

Sophie let out a strangled sound and almost leapt from her horse right then to stop Nicholas.

 

But Kiko held her back, convincing her otherwise.

 

Nicola aimed it carefully toward the mountain.

 

"Nic, that's way off!" Dot called.

 

Nicola didn't care and instead tugged on Dot's tail to get the dragon to set it on fire.

 

It exploded and flew toward the mountain top.

 

~

 

Hester had just awoken and looked to the side.

 

She saw a giant cannon shooting toward them as her eyes widened.

 

She grabbed onto a still sleeping Anadil and leapt off of the mountain, flying off with the other dragon in her arms.

 

"WHAT THE-"

 

~

 

Nicola whooped in triumph as the avalanche overtook the Huns...

 

But then she was running for dear life, holding onto Dot and the lucky cricket.

 

She leapt onto Kahn and raced the other direction, hearing her fellow soldiers cheering her on and Sophie screaming her name (well, not her name, but close enough).

 

She fumbled with the arrow, tying the rope around it and then shooting it just as thy careened off of the cliff.

 

Ravan watched in horror for a long moment before he saw the arrow shoot by his head.

 

He snatched onto it and was almost pulled off the edge, but his fellow soldiers grabbed onto him and helped pull him and Nicholas up from certain doom.

 

~

 

Sophie watched with wide eyes as she saw the soldiers pulling Nicholas up.

 

Her heart started beating again as soon as she saw him.

 

He was bruised and injured, but he was alive.

 

Gloriously alive.

 

She practically teleported to his side and watched as their medic helped him into a tent.

 

She stayed by his side, grabbing onto his hand even as he was carried off.

 

When they got to the tent, Sophie was forced to release him and was reluctant.

 

But as he entered, she finally had time to think.

 

She sat down on a small snowy bank, alone except for Kiko.

 

"I hope he's okay."

 

Kilo rolled her eyes.

 

"The commoner will be fine."

 

Sophie's eyes snapped to her.

 

"He isn't just a commoner. He's...," Sophie fond that she couldn't.

 

She was far too distracted by thoughts of his smile and the way his eyes lit up when he had a new idea.

 

It was just so...

 

Kiko was watching her, but she didn't care.

 

She started to think about how the soldier made her feel.

 

How her heart had stopped when he had gone over that cliff.

 

The way he had practically sacrificed himself to save all of them.

 

It made her face heat up.

 

He was so... perfect.

 

She knew she was gushing and she didn't care.

 

As she waited for what felt like hours for Nicholas to be allowed visitors, she started to realize something.

 

It was a slow and painful process, but she finally figured out what that feeling was.

 

Her eyes widened and her mouth dried.

 

Her head whipped to the side and she looked at Kiko, the only one without earshot.

 

"Kiko... I think I'm in love Nicholas."

 

She didn't notice that the dragon had a devastated looked on her face or that she cursed quietly under her breath.

 

"No, I don't think so."

 

Kiko grew excited and opened her mouth to agree-

 

"I know so. I love him and I'm going to tell him the moment he wakes up."

 

Kiko's eyes widen in disbelief and she goes to argue, but the medic came out and Sophie sprinted forward, all dignity and poise leaving her in that moment as she rushed into the tent before the medic could stop her.

 

She saw Nicholas sitting up (shirtless, she saw, which made her pulse quicken drastically).

 

"Nicholas, I have to say something. I lo-"

 

She could see Nicholas grinning at her as he sat up and suddenly the blanket fell away, revealing his bandages torso.

 

No, not his, her.

 

Sophie's eyes widened and her heart stopped for the second time that day.

 

Nicholas...

 

Was a girl?'

 

Wait, what?!

 

He couldn't be!

 

Nicholas' eyes widened and he looked down, pulling up the blanket.

 

"I can explain!"

 

Sophie's eyes filled with tears and she turned before she would let him-her-see her cry.

 

~

 

Many soldiers want to uphold the law, but despite being betrayed Sophie couldn't see Nicholas killed.

 

"No," she said quietly.

 

"No."

 

"Do you pardon her?" someone asked.

 

Nicholas looked up into Sophie's eyes apologetically.

 

Sophie could still feel her heart beating faster when their eyes met.

 

"I do."

 

The soldiers had turned and kept marching but Nicholas, or whatever her name was, hurried after her.

 

"I'm sorry, Sophie! It's just... my dad would have come and he would have died!"

 

Sophie felt her heart breaking.

 

"What's your name?" Sophie asked, trying not keep her voice from shaking.

 

She barely succeeded.

 

"Nicola."

 

Sophie felt her heart beating faster.

 

It was such a pretty name.

 

She felt Nicola grabbing her hand as she started to walk away.

 

Sophie had yearned to hold Nicola's hands for weeks, even if she hadn't known it.

 

And she found that she still did.

 

She wanted to do bad.

 

She pulled her hand out of Nicola's.

 

It was like tearing her heart in two.

 

She walked away, sniffling.

 

~

 

Nicola watched her go and felt unshed tears in her eyes and tried not to cry.

 

She stopped herself, just barely.

 

"It's okay, Nic. You're alive," Dot said gently.

 

But the dragon was distracted.

 

She had found... another dragon out there a few hours ago...

 

And she was just wonderful.

 

Such a beautiful shade of green...

 

Both of them watched the flames with pain in their eyes.

 

~

 

Sophie sniffled as she rode, making herself far ahead of all of the soldiers.

 

Hort came up to her side and tried to ask her what was wrong, but she just about bit his head off.

 

Nicholas...

 

Nicola...

 

Her hand had felt so soft despite the work and callouses, so right in Sophie's hands.

 

~

 

Nicola was about to go back home when she saw the Huns coming.

 

They were coming out of the snow like zombies out of their graves.

 

She had to warn the city!

 

~

 

Nicola raced on Kahn, trying to get there in time to warn the city.

 

She drew the reins beside Ravan.

 

"You have to listen to me! They're coming!"

 

She tried all of the soldiers, but none of them listened.

 

Finally, she came up to Sophie.

 

She rode by the blond and gave her a pleading look.

 

"Please, Sophie, you need to listen! They're coming! They're going to kill us all!"

 

Sophie stared at her, her big emerald green eyes filling with tears.

 

Wait, tears?!

 

"Nicholas-Nicola..," she took a deep breath.

 

"Okay."

 

"I trust you."

 

She followed after Nicola.

 

She was the only one that would listen.

 

~

 

Nicola could see the Huns now.

 

They were in the towers.

 

~

 

Nicola and Sophie snuck in, knocking out the guards, and went to the tops of the towers.

 

Nicola could see the leader now.

 

Aric, the leader of the Huns.

 

"Sophie, stay back!"

 

She pulled out her sword and attacked the man, defending the emperor and his daughter.

 

When she knocked him over, she grabbed onto Sophie around the waist and they swung from the tower to another, setting off the fireworks and hitting Aric right in the chest.

 

~

 

After the fight, the emperor bestowed Nicola with a new job title and something to give her parents to show her honor.

 

"Nicola, listen...," Sophie took a breath.

 

"You... are a good fighter."

 

Nicola felt herself deflate.

 

She didn't know why it did.

 

What had she wanted to hear her say?

 

~

 

Hort pulled Ravan behind a tower and kissed him silly.

 

Beside them, unbeknownst to anyone, Kiko and Dot awkwardly flirted together.

 

~

 

Sophie regretted it the moment she saw Nicola go.

 

She hadn't told her.

 

Even if she was a girl... she needed to say it.

 

She needed to tell her father-

 

But he emperor has already spoken.

 

"Go to her."

 

And so she followed, Kiko on her shoulder and having forgotten her task in favor of Dot.

 

~

 

Nicola pulled Kahn onto the farm and looked at the rest of her family.

 

She handed the token from the emperor and instead she got a hug.

 

He didn't seem to care about that.

 

"I'd hoped she'd come how with a husband," her grandmother muttered.

 

"Excuse me, is this the home of Nicola?"

 

The mother and grandmother both turned around to look at the one who had asked.

 

It was a blindingly beautiful blond princess in a bright green dress.

 

The grandmother gasped.

 

She nodded and then pointed at Nicola.

 

"She's in the garden."

 

~

 

Nicola could hear footsteps behind her and she turned.

 

Her dark chocolate eyes widened and she stared at Sophie.

 

"I... need to tell you something."

 

Nicola looked at her.

 

"I... I love you, Nicola."

 

Before she could respond, Sophie pulled her into a deep kiss.

 

When Sophie pulled away, Nicola stared at her with wide eyes.

 

"I... I love you, too, Sophie."

 

Beside them, Dot and Kiko awkwardly watched before intertwining their paws with bright red faces.

 

In the background, the grandmother sighed.

 

"Pay up," the mother whispered.

 

She grumbled under her breath.

 

"How did you know?"

 

"Mother's intuition."

 

~

 

Hester and Anadil watched with eye rolls.

 

"Took them long enough."


End file.
